fall/winter

Between the tourist towns of Mammoth Lakes and June Lake lie the Headwaters of the Owens River, a basin (bottom photo) rimmed by 12,000-foot peaks that is the wellspring of a water taking a long journey to the lawns and pools of Southern California. The Owens River runs wild for its first 20 miles, until entering the infrastructure of Los Angeles Water and Power—dams, reservoirs, pump stations, hydroelectric plants, and the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which was initially completed in 1924.

On its way south, some of the Owens’ water does see the surface, notably through the Owens Gorge (above) and along a 70-section of the Owens Valley, which is being “re-watered” to create riparian habitat. Even the long-since-dry Owens Lakebed, south of Lone Pine, is seeing new life and water, thanks to a multi-million dollar dust mitigation project. (Range of Light Trailblazer details a couple dozen spots to enjoy the river along its journey.)

The Headwaters Wilderness was established in 2009, but you will normally see few hikers.

Many better-known trailheads are close by, and this one is a six-mile drive in on a dirt road. You pass Obsidian Dome, a mountain of shiny black rock, as well as the scenic mini-gorge of Deadman Creek on the way.

The 3.5-mile, round-trip trail is unimproved, but easy to follow, over crunch white pumice through a forest of huge red firs. White Wing Mountain is lofted like heaven to the north, very easy to recognize.

As you climb to enter the basin, the trail gets sketchy, joined by a network of deer trails. Normally, deer establish a sane path that is easy for homo sapiens to navigate. But not in this case. Much of the basin is carpeted with dwarf aspen, from saplings to ten-footers, creating a 50-acre giant velcro field that cannot be traversed. So, when the basin comes into view, stay high and hook right (north), looping around the lower reaches of a mixed conifer forest. Pick your own turnaround spot.

In the fall, the aspen fields create a sea of color, mostly gold, but with touches or orange and red. The trees share a common root system, so what looks like hundreds of trees is technically only one. Be Aware: Keep a weather eye peeled all year around on this hike, since fast-moving cloud fronts can bring rain, snow, and cold temps within an hour or two.

The sand dunes of Death Valley National Park may look the same from day to day—mini mountain ranges of meringue resting under blue skies—but they change from moment to moment, and human footprints disappear as if they were never laid down. Zillions of grains of sand are always moving, slave to the forces of wind and gravity.

Range of Light Trailblazer details hikes to a half-dozen dunes in the park. Hiking directions are short, since there are no trails: just point your boots and go. You will, however, want to walk along the ridge line, since trying to slog up slopes is like trying to eat soup with a fork. No need to worry about falling on these treks, where every stumble leads to a soft landing.

How desert dunes come to be

Wind, erosion, and changing temps break down rocks into sand, their finest component. A dry climate is needed, since an inch of rain per year produces not sand, but plain old dirt. Wind sends sand grains scudding along near the ground until they hit an object, large or small, and begin piling up. More sand runs up the slope of the pile until it reaches the crest and falls over the other side—the slip face. Sand on the slip face eventually accumulates until it reaches the angle of repose, where it is stable and will not fall, about a 33-degree slope. More sand blows up the windward face, and the process continues as the dune grows higher. A 600-foot climb is needed to scale Eureka Dunes.

Eureka Dunes are called “booming dunes,” because when sand tumbles from the crest down the slip face in micro-avalanches is emits a low-ranging buzzing noise like the far-off drone of a prop plane. Friction among particles makes the sound waves. You can create the noise as you trudge up the the ridge line. The ghostly moan is the fleeting evidence that you were here. Dune hiking is not to reach a destination, but to stroll through time itself.

The camping sites, whether in the two small campgrounds or at dispersed sites on the north side of the dunes, are all places to begin walking. Directions, maps, activities in the vicinity and more photos are on pages 119 through 121 in our guide. An ideal place to enjoy winter wanderlust.